In the 1960s, a forestry expert named Miran Brinar was exploring the woods just outside the village of Rakitna when an unusual fir tree caught his attention. It turned out that the comely fir was even more special than it appeared.

The tree had long been known to locals for its attractive shape, vaguely recalling a tall cypress. Many called it "The Beautiful Conifer". Brinar realized that the tree was not just shaped differently than other firs in the area, but that it also grew at an unusually fast pace; it had already overtaken several older trees nearby both in terms of height and width.

At an international conference in 1967, Brinar presented his findings: The fir tree was a genetic mutant with broader, shorter, and thicker needles than any other fir seen before. The direction of the needles was also unusual, which contributed to the tree’s unique shape: They grew out at right rather than acute angles. Furthermore, the tree flowers every year, unlike other firs, which typically flower every second or third year.

In effect, Brinar had stumbled upon a new species of fir – a mutant tree caught in an exciting evolutionary moment. It became known as the "Brinar fir" in his honor. Because of its uniqueness, the tree was cloned several times, and two of its clones can now be found in the Maribor Botanical Garden.

Meanwhile Brinar’s original fir has continued to grow at its unusually rapid pace. Now about a century old, the mighty tree measures about two meters in circumference and is more than 40 meters tall. A special plaque tells the story of a tree unlike any other – and the scientist who first noticed how very special it really was.